The PR Verdict: “A” (PR Perfect) for Gore Vidal and the aristocratic one liner.

America lost one of its great aristocrats this week.

Writer and historian Gore Vidal passed away in his Hollywood Hills home Thursday, after a long illness. Obituaries praised the life of one of America’s intellectual heavyweights but none could ignore his snappy, grand and imperious tone ; it’s what stole the coverage.

Gore Vidal was famous for many things – among them his one-liners. Though he would have hated to be described so, he was in some ways the PR Dream: able to create publicity without looking like he was trying. A withering one liner guaranteed him centre stage in any debate.

The PR Verdict: “A” (PR Perfect) for Gore Vidal and the art of the perfect sound bite. In honor of the master, a sample below. Valuable tips concerning how to live life according to Gore Vidal:

There is no one human problem that could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise.

I am exactly as I appear. There is no warm loveable person inside. Beneath my cold exterior, once you break the ice, you find cold water.